Olmstead v. United States (1927) The 1927 case of Olmstead v. United States proved to be an incredibly important and influential decision. The case revolved around the prosecution of Washington state resident Roy Olmstead for attempting to smuggle and sell alcohol in violation of Prohibition. After suspecting Olmstead for years, the government gathered evidence Read more…

Free Speech in and out of Schools: What Limits (if any) Are Appropriate? The changing nature of technology is posing new issues and problems for previously established constitutional rights. For instance, in this age of Facebook and Twitter, speech that was once localized and temporary is now widespread and potentially permanent. This new reality Read more…

Marbury v. Madison: Document G, The Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution (1789) Do you use document-based questions in your classroom? This summer the Bill of Rights Institute is blogging a document-based question on the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison (1803). Each weekly post will feature an excerpted document related to the case, along with Read more…

Learning American Values the SMART Way Do you have a SMART board? If so, why not leverage technology to help better illustrate what being an American is all about! The Being an American: Exploring the Ideals that Unite Us curriculum has several SMART board-compatible resources that deal with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Civic Read more…

Marbury v. Madison, Document F: Sections of Article III of the United States Constitution (1789) Do you use document-based questions in your classroom? This summer the Bill of Rights Institute is blogging a document-based question on the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison (1803). Each weekly post will feature an excerpted document related to the case, along Read more…

Round 3: Monarchists v. Democratic Republicans This is part of a continuing series of blog posts leading up to Constitution Day on September 17. Last time we examined the dispute between northern and southern states. Today, we will review the debate over how to structure the executive branch. One of the most persistent topics discussed Read more…

Great Resources for Civics and Government Teachers! Hey civics and government teachers – we found a great online resource for you to use with your students. The Youth Leadership Initiative’s website has interactive materials ready for you to use in your classroom! Some of the resources available include the E-Congress program, an interactive online legislative Read more…

Round 2: North v. South This is part of a continuing series of blog posts leading up to Constitution Day on September 17. Last time we looked at the conflict between large and small states; today, we will examine the dispute between the North and South over slavery and how that affects representation and taxation. Read more…

Marbury v. Madison: Document E, Federalist No. 81, 1788 Do you use document-based questions in your classroom? This summer the Bill of Rights Institute is blogging a document-based question on the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison (1803). Each weekly post will feature an excerpted document related to the case, along with some questions to guide your Read more…

Discussing Controversial Topics – The Second Amendment eLesson This summer several mass shootings occurred in the United States. In July, a gunman opened fire in a crowded movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and wounding 58. In early August, six were killed and three were injured at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read more…